


Kismet over Coffee

by feihu



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-02
Updated: 2012-04-02
Packaged: 2017-11-02 22:20:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/373971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feihu/pseuds/feihu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After not seeing each other for six years, Sanada and Nioh run into each other at a cafe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kismet over Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> A challenge piece that I kind of talked a friend into giving me because my muses wanted to write this.

Nioh smirked as he sipped his coffee and watched people walking by the window of the cafe he was sitting in. Tapping his pen against his notebook, he pulled a chunk off of the muffin he’d bought to go with his coffee as he contemplated the next part of his story. The beauty of being a successful author was that he could work anywhere at any time, and at the moment it meant avoiding Yagyuu. His former doubles partner and current roommate had been a nervous wreck recently as he was getting ready to propose to his longtime girlfriend. Nioh had escaped their spacious condo as early as he could that morning, unable to deal with Yagyuu fretting over his lunch plans. The young doctor was meeting his girlfriend’s brother. Tachibana Kippei, for lunch to get his blessing before proposing to An. Nioh grinned and put pen to paper as his best friend’s love life inspired the romance of his main characters.

A few hours later, Nioh wove his way through the lunch rush to get in line. Keeping an eye on his small table as he moved closer to the front, he saw a very familiar face walk in. Fighting down the urge to blush at the sight of his longtime crush, Nioh shouted out over the din of conversations and coffee machines. “Oi, Sanada! ‘Bout time you got here, I was about to guess your order.”

Sanada smiled a bit and pushed his way through the crowd. It had been years since he’d seen Nioh, but the silver haired man hadn’t changed much. Raking his eyes over the lean figure of the smaller man, Sanada couldn’t help but think that the years had been very good to his former teammate. Sticking his hands in his pockets to help resist the urge to play with Nioh’s still present rat tail, Sanada played along. “Sorry about that. If I’d known I was going to be so late, I would have called.”

Nioh cursed mentally as he tried not to swoon at the brief smile Sanada had flashed him. Most of the old team had fallen out of touch once they’d gone to university, and Nioh couldn’t help but think that Sanada was even more handsome than he’d ever been. He missed his chance to make small talk as they stepped up to the counter to order, but he figured they could catch up while they ate. Nioh fought down a blush when Sanada insisted on paying for lunch. Smiling in thanks, he led the way back to his table and moved his notebook out of the way so Sanada could eat. Picking up half of his sandwich, Nioh spoke briefly before taking a bite. “Thanks for buying my lunch Sanada, you didn’t have to do that.”

“I know, but it’s the least I could do to thank you for shortening my wait. I can’t believe it’s been six years since I’ve seen you. How have you been?”

Nioh smiled and took a drink of his coffee that a waitress had refilled while he was in line to get lunch. “I’ve been good. I got lucky and made it big as a writer. It’s a nice gig since I mostly work for myself, so I don’t really have a boss that can get pissed at me for doing things my own way.”

Sanada smiled and sipped his tea. “You still don’t like authority huh? I guess that really shouldn’t surprise me. Are you and Yagyuu still together?”

Nioh was silent for a beat before laughing lightly. “Nah, we’ve never been a couple to be honest. Believe it or not, he’s straight. Not to mention neurotic for the last two weeks.”

Sanada was surprised and more than just a little glad to hear that the trickster wasn’t seeing his old doubles partner. “So are you seeing anyone else? And why is Yagyuu neurotic?”

Nioh leaned back in his chair and nursed his coffee with a little grin. “No, I’m single. haven’t found the right guy yet, you know? Yagyuu’s neurotic because he’s getting ready to propose to his girlfriend. Last week he got An-chan’s parents’ blessing, and today he’s supposed to be having lunch with Tachibana Kippei to get his blessing too. What about you? I know you and ‘Mura aren’t together, I’ve seen the articles about him and his French model. She’s pretty cute if you’re into girls I suppose.”

Sanada leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. Hearing that Nioh was single brought a smile to his face, perhaps he hadn’t missed his chance with the other man. “I’m in the same boat as you, haven’t met Mr. Right yet either. I’m sure Tachibana will give his blessing, his sister could do a hell of a lot worse than Yagyuu after all.” Catching sight of the clock on the far wall of the cafe, Sanada sighed. “I need to get back to work. I’d love to continue this conversation though, can I take you to dinner tonight?”

Nioh slumped in his seat momentarily when Sanada said he had to go. The dinner request made him perk back up almost instantly as he reached for his notebook. Jotting his address down quickly, Nioh did his best to not smile like a fool. “I’d like that. This is my address, you can pick me up at seven if that’s ok. Here, give me your phone and I’ll put my number in it in case you get lost.” He tore out the page and reached for Sanada’s phone.

Sanada smiled and fished his cell out of his pocket and traded it for the paper that Nioh had written on. Letting his fingers linger on the soft skin of Nioh’s own long digits, Sanada was grateful that Atobe and Yukimura had taught him to flirt while he’d been in university. “Seven will be fine. We won’t be going anywhere fancy, so dress casual will work perfectly.”

Nioh felt his heart race as he dialed his own number with shaking fingers. Wondering when the formerly stoic man had learned to flirt so well, Nioh stifled his blush as best as he could and flashed a playful smirk at the man across from him. “Dress casual, huh? I can make that work. I suppose I’d better let you get back to work shouldn’t I?”

Sanada gave the silver haired man a rueful smile as he took his phone back and slid it into his pocket. “Yeah, I really do need to be getting back.” Standing up and preparing to leave, Sanada leaned down and almost whispered in Nioh’s ear. “I’m looking forward to tonight already, Nioh-kun.” Pulling away to give the still seated man a sultry smile, Sanada straightened up and strode out of the cafe.

Nioh’s cheeks flamed as Sanada spoke softly in his ear and then gave him that look. Staring appreciatively as the taller man walked out, Nioh nursed the last of his coffee. Gathering up his supplies, he wove his way to the register to pay his tab. Waving goodbye to the clerk as he sauntered out the door, he started mentally reviewing the contents of his closet to decide what to wear.

Sitting at the kitchen table of the condo she shared with her longtime boyfriend and his best friend, Tachibana An chewed on the end of her pencil as she worked on lesson plans for her kindergarten class. With summer break in full swing, her days were fairly empty. Not looking up from the mess of papers she had spread over the table, An shouted a greeting as she heard the front door open. “Okaeri whichever one of you is home!”

Nioh laughed as he toed his shoes off. Tossing his bag on one of the couches as he moved through the den and toward the kitchen, he felt himself getting more nervous and excited about his upcoming date. “Tadaima Bratty. Come help me with something.”

An rolled her eyes at Nioh’s nickname for her as she set her pencil down. Draining the last of the water she’d had sitting amongst the mess, she stood and put her glass in the sink. “What do you need Haru-chan? And can I just say you are in a surprisingly good mood for how early you left this morning.”

Nioh grabbed An by the hand and pulled her toward his room. “I have a date tonight, so I need a dress casual outfit that says ‘I’m mature, but I can still rock your world.’ Being in possession of ovaries means you have fashion senses built in for situations like this. And I escaped early because your boyfriend is going crazy.”

An smacked Nioh upside the head at his comment before rifling through his closet. “Being a girl doesn’t automatically make me fashion savvy, Haru-chan. I am well aware that Hiroshi is acting weird, and don’t even try to pretend you don’t know why. He still tells you everything, after all. So who’s the lucky guy that you’ve agreed to grace with your company tonight?”

Nioh rubbed the side of his head and plopped down on the foot of his bed as he watched An work. “You say that, but you’re still proving me right. And yes, I do know why he’s being weird, but I’m not telling you why. It’s not my place to explain the reason. As for who I’m going out with tonight, the answer is Sanada Genichirou.”

An spun around with an excited look on her face. “The guy you’ve had a crush on for how long now just asked you out on a date? How long have you been talking to him without telling me?”

Nioh smiled a bit and picked at a hole in his jeans. “I ran into him at the cafe out of the blue today. Damn, he looks good too. He smiled at me a few times and I swear I blushed. Which is huge because I never blush. But then again this is the same guy I’ve had a crush on since puberty hit me, so I suppose it makes sense that he can get under my skin and make me react in ways I never would for anyone else. Am I making sense at all on any of this?”

An smiled as she leaned against the door frame of Nioh’s closet and spoke to him. “You’re making perfect sense. And it’s not that surprising that Sanada-san made you blush considering how long you’ve liked him. Hell, Hiroshi and I have been together for five years and he still makes me blush and feel like I did when we first started dating sometimes. And that’s why I want to help you make an awesome impression tonight on your date. Now, you have a really nice pair of black skinny jeans in here, they still fit right? And do you still have that long suit coat hiding somewhere? Those will look really nice together. Now to pick out a shirt and some good accessories.”

Nioh gave An a suspicious look. “Accessories? I’m not sure I like the sound of that. But yes, the jeans fit, and the jacket is in the garment bag to the far right of my closet. I’m thinking I’ll wear my boots with the outfit too. Just do me a favor and pick out a shirt with color in it? I’m not goth or emo, and I don’t want to dress like it. And don’t even think about suggesting I paint my nails, you know I refuse to do that.”

An rolled her eyes and turned back to Nioh’s closet. Pulling out the jeans and digging out his jacket, she started flipping through his dress shirts to find one that would make the outfit work. “The ones that look like motorcycle boots? Yeah, those’ll work well with this outfit I think. As far as a shirt goes, how about this dark blue one? It’s kind of metallic and shiny but it’s not super flashy, and it compliments your eyes. Oh, and I think I have a ribbon that would match it that I could braid into your hair.”

Nioh looked at An in shock. “Excuse me, what now? You did not just suggest braiding a ribbon into my hair. No. I don’t care that my hair is more than long enough for it. There will be no ribbon or braiding happening. I have a dark blue hair tie that will work just fine.”

An huffed and threw the shirt at Nioh. “Fine. I won’t put any ribbon in your hair. But what I am going to do is go through your necklaces and earrings while you go shower and pick out some things that will look good with this outfit. It’s already almost three, so hurry up and go shower already.”

Nioh gave the woman a perplexed look as he laid the dress shirt out on his bed to keep it from wrinkling too much. “I have four hours, why are you rushing me?”

An rolled her eyes and shoved Nioh off of his bed, showing no sympathy when he landed in a heap on the floor. “Because. This is the guy you’ve been wanting for practically forever. You’re mostly calm now, but I doubt that’s going to last all the way until seven. Now go shower so you can get ready and we can deal with your hair. It’s going to need enough time to dry after all.”

Nioh picked himself up off the floor and grabbed his robe. Stripping down to his boxers and pulling the robe on, he left it open and shoved his hands in the pockets before stalking off to the bathroom. “Fine Bratty, you win this time. And don’t mess up my box ok? Everything in there is organized exactly how I want it.”

An barely even flinched as her boyfriend’s best friend stripped in front of her. She and Nioh had been friends almost as long as she had been dating Yagyuu; and with all of her brother’s old teammates being promoted to honorary brothers, Nioh had been promoted to gay best friend a long time ago. “I will do my best to leave things be and not mess up too much of it. Now don’t take too long, and bring my blow dryer with you when you come back.”

Twenty minutes later Nioh sauntered back into his room, An’s blow dryer swinging from his hand. Plugging it into the outlet next to his dresser, he pulled his desk chair over and sat backwards on it as he rubbed a towel over his head to dry his hair. Tossing the towel on the ground once he felt his hair was a dry as it was going to get that way, he picked up his hair brush and began pulling it through his hair. Turning the chair to look toward his bed, he saw An sitting there waiting on him. “Well? What are you waiting on? I brought your blow dryer, now work your magic.”

An looked at Nioh with a raised eyebrow as she picked a piece of lint off of his jacket. “What’s the magic word?”

Nioh flashed his best puppy eyes at An and held his hair brush out to her. “Please work your magic, oh great An-sama.”

An laughed and stood up. Walking over to Nioh she turned him back toward his dresser and picked up her blow dryer with one hand as she grabbed his brush with the other. “Well when you put it like that, I suppose it would be too cruel of me to refuse. Now hold still, I’m going to try and get your hair to cooperate without having to put any gel or hairspray in it. Also, I found the hair tie you were talking about.”

An ended up fussing with Nioh’s hair for the better part of an hour. By the time she finally stopped, it was almost five. Taking over the desk chair as he got up to start dressing, An startled grilling Nioh for more details about his lunch encounter. “So Sanada-san just wandered in to your usual cafe out of the blue?”

Dropping his robe and reaching for his shirt, Nioh began to dress for his date. “Yeah, it was just a really random encounter. And he’s really opened up and become very talkative and friendly. Not to mention flirty. I’m not entirely sure what it is that he does, but he was wearing a suit and it looked damn good on him.” Reaching for his pants, Nioh started pulling the tight jeans on as he continued. “Sanada looked incredible, I can’t believe it’s been six years since the last time I saw him. I’ve always been jealous of how tall he is, but the way he whispered in my ear before he left made me wonder how it would feel to be pressed up against him. I mean, I’m eye level with his shoulders, so there’s quite a height difference. And that doesn’t bother me at all.”

An grinned as she listened to Nioh nearly gush over his date. They way he was talking reminded her of how she had been before her first date with Yagyuu back in her first year of university. “I totally understand. It sounds like you have about the same height difference that Hiroshi and I have; and speaking from experience, it’s pretty perfect. Did he give you any clues about where you’re going tonight?”

Nioh’s reply was cut off as the door to his bedroom opened to reveal Yagyuu. Tucking his shirt into his jeans, Nioh watched his former doubles partner walk over to pull An up off of his desk chair before sitting down and pulling her into his lap. Grinning to himself, Nioh nodded a greeting at the Gentleman as he walked to his closet and fished out a belt. “Hey Yea~gyuu. Busy day today?”

Pressing a kiss to An’s shoulder as he held her on his lap, Yagyuu rolled his eyes behind his glasses. “It was alright I suppose. Not too terribly busy though. Did you have a productive day of writing?”

“Not really no. I mean this morning went pretty good but I got nothing done this afternoon. I’ve been too busy getting ready for my date tonight.”

“Well that explains why you look dressed up more than usual. Who’s the lucky guy?” Yagyuu’s voice held a hint of a laugh.

“Sanada. He’s picking me up at seven.” Nioh looked smug as he checked his hair in the mirror attached to his dresser. When he’d been sitting, he’d been able to watch An fuss with it, and he’d been happy with how it had looked when she finished. Now though, nerves about his approaching date were making him twitchy, and Nioh couldn’t resist the need to tease his silver locks into the spiky style he typically wore as opposed to the smooth layers that An had forced his hair into.

Leaning over as much as she could while Yagyuu was holding her, An smacked Nioh as hard as she could on the arm. “Would you stop that! It took me almost an hour to get your hair to behave, do not ruin my work!”

“But it looks weird! What if he doesn’t like it?” Nioh almost sulked, but he told himself he was too manly to do that. Looking down at the jewelry that An had picked while he was showering, he picked up the necklace that had a stylized tribal bird pendant and put it on.

Yagyuu rolled his eyes and held on to An a little bit tighter. He loved his girlfriend, and Nioh was practically his brother, but the two of them could channel their inner children a bit too well at times. “You look fine, Nioh. Sanada will be a blind fool to walk away just because your hair is styled differently.”

Nioh took a deep breath and did his best to relax as Yagyuu reassured him. Sanada had been his goal, his ideal, the yardstick he’d measured every other guy he’d dated by. Looking at the clock on his night stand as he turned around, he saw that it wasn’t even six o’clock yet. Dropping down onto his bed with a huff, he started picking at invisible lint clinging to his pants as he waited.

Yagyuu shook his head as he looked at his best friend. “Would you relax already? I know you’re nervous, but I’m sure it will be fine tonight. Now, why don’t we all move to the living room and maybe watch a bit of television to get your mind off of things.” Nudging An to stand up, Yagyuu stood and put his hand on Nioh’s shoulder with a slight smile.

Nioh smiled softly at Yagyuu’s words. Nodding as he stood as well, he followed Yagyuu and An out to the living room to plop down on the couch. Reaching for the remote before either of his roommates could grab it, he flipped through channels until he found a channel that was showing old reruns of one of his favorite drama shows. Smiling as he settled in to his seat, Nioh ignored An when she groaned at the show he had picked.

“Really? You’re making me watch Delicious Gakuen?”

Nioh pulled one of the throw pillows out from behind his back and smacked An lightly with it before pulling it to his chest and hugging it. “Shut up. This show is hilarious and you know it.”

An just rolled her eyes and leaned into Yagyuu’s side. The show was pretty weird, but the more she watched it the more she started to like it. Besides, it was distracting Nioh and keeping him from pacing in anticipation. “You’re lucky I like you so much Haru-chan. Otherwise I’d hurt you for smacking me with that pillow”

Two episodes later, Nioh nearly jumped as the doorbell chimed. Pushing himself up off the couch, he tried to keep his hands from shaking as he went to answer the door. Opening it to see Sanada standing there, Nioh told his heart that it wasn’t allowed to start racing at how handsome the taller man looked. His heart didn’t listen, and he wondered for a moment if it was going to leap out of his chest. Sanada was wearing dark slacks with a matching jacket and a soft grey shirt. The top button was undone, giving him an air of relaxation and natural confidence. Nioh swallowed thickly as his eyes raked over Sanada’s frame appreciatively. “Right on time Sanada. You look good.”

Sanada smiled a bit as he looked Nioh over. It was quite a change to see the smaller man’s hair lying flat instead of up in its messy spikes, and he kind of liked it. The dark blue shirt complemented Nioh’s sea green eyes incredibly well, and the necklace drew his focus to the smooth skin of the trickster’s throat. Tearing his eyes away from the pale skin of Nioh’s neck, Sanada looked back at his date’s eyes with a small grin. “You look pretty great yourself. I hope you don’t mind Italian food, there’s a restaurant I’ve wanted to try for a while now.”

Nioh cursed mentally as he felt his hands start sweating. He felt like he had back in junior high when they’d been on the verge of winning nationals his second year, all nerves and anticipation and adrenaline fueled excitement. Smiling back at Sanada, he stepped back and let his date step inside as he turned to the shoe rack to fish out his boots. “Italian sounds really good actually. Just let me put my shoes on and I’ll be ready to go.”

Farther in the apartment, An peeked around the corner to look toward the entryway. She was doing her best to stay back and not interfere with Nioh’s date, but she was curious about it nonetheless. Her eyes widened at the sight of Sanada, someone she had always known to be the poster child of stoicism, smiling at Nioh. Checking the tall man out, she couldn’t help but to appreciate how good Sanada looked. She was very happy with Yagyuu, but that didn’t make her blind after all. Catching Nioh’s eye for a second as he pulled his boots on, she smiled and winked at him before disappearing back toward the living room.

Sanada swallowed thickly and did his best to not stare as Nioh bent over to pull his boots on. He’d always thought the smaller man was striking to look at, and six years had only reinforced that opinion. Nioh’s jacket was long, not stopping until his knees, but it still draped over his slim hips and backside in a very flattering way. Slapping himself mentally, Sanada tore his gaze away from Nioh’s ass just in time to avoid being caught staring. Taking a deep breath and forcing his shoulders to not tense up, he reached for the door. “Are you ready to go?”

Nioh checked his pockets to make sure his wallet and keys were there before nodding. “Yep, let’s go.” He smiled as Sanada held the door for him as they left the apartment, ready to get their date started.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sipping the wine their server had poured, Nioh found himself marveling at the look of the restaurant they were in. He felt under-dressed based on how fancy the decorations were, but there were other patrons who looked more casual than he and Sanada did, so Nioh did his best to stuff the feeling down. Setting his wine glass back down before the urge to chug it overwhelmed him, he decided to try and get the conversation going. “So, you know what I do for a living, but I don’t know what you do. What keeps you busy all day?”

Sanada smiled and tried to not fidget as he waited for their appetizer. “I run the IT department for Atobe. He keeps us on top of all the latest technology, but not everyone should really be allowed a computer.”

Nioh’s eyes widened a bit. Sanada, a computer guru? “Seriously? I have to say, I never pictured you as the tech savvy type. So do you spend a lot of time telling people to make sure their monitors and keyboards are plugged in?”

Sanada chuckled and leaned forward a bit. Already he was feeling more laid back and relaxed, and he was very glad he’d run into his former teammate that morning. “I know I didn’t take much stock in computers back in middle school and high school, but I really got into them in university. And it’s gotten me a really good job which is nice.” He smiled a little wider and sipped his own wine. “Yeah, we have a few older employees who waste my department’s time any time something goes even slightly wrong. I had one person my first week who wanted me to come fix his computer when he accidentally cut part of a document he’d been working on. I wanted so badly to go dig out a typewriter and give him that and take his computer away but Atobe wouldn’t let me. That gentleman has retired now thankfully, but he’s one of those ones I will never forget.”

Nioh laughed lightly as the server brought their appetizer. Reaching for one of the pieces of bread, he tore it in half and took a small bite. “Ha, I can only imagine. I’ve been thinking about getting a new computer, but I might just need an extra hard drive. My laptop is where I type up all my books, and I back things up in like three places just to be on the safe side. It’s really starting to get slow though so I should start looking for something new.”

Sanada wiped a few crumbs away from his mouth and shook his head a bit. “Before you jump to replacing it, I can look at it for you and see if I can speed it up again. You might just need to defragment your hard drive to fix things.”

Nioh smiled almost shyly as he took another sip of his wine. “You’d do that for me? I appreciate that, thank you.”

Sanada smiled and lifted his glass a bit in a sort of half toast. “Of course. It wouldn’t do for someone as prolific as you are to lose your work due to a computer problem.”

Nioh returned the little half toast to Sanada with a smile.”Thanks. I really appreciate that Sanada. My schedule is pretty open, so whenever you have time is fine.” Sipping his wine, he began to feel almost unnerved by Sanada’s amused stare. “What? Do I have something in my teeth?”

Sanada chuckled and reached for the bottle to refill both their glasses. “No, that’s not it. It’s your behavior that has me a bit puzzled. Honestly, I'm surprised by how much you've mellowed. The Nioh I remember would be pranking this entire restaurant and laughing as it all unfolded. But you aren't doing that.”

Nioh snorted in amusement. "Are you disappointed or pleased?"

Sanada grinned. "Leaning more toward pleased. I can focus on our conversation and not have to worry that you've had the kitchen spike my food."

Nioh rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat. "You're hilarious. Really. I prefer to let my characters play the tricks and pull the pranks. It makes it much easier to choreograph the results that way."

Sanada leaned forward and tilted his head in curiosity. "So what happened to make you change to that method? I would have expected you to act out each prank and trick before writing them."

Nioh sighed and swirled the wine in his glass. "Avoiding prison by the skin of your teeth tends to change your behavior. If you have a brain and a sense of self preservation at least."

Sanada’s eyes widened in surprise, but he held his tongue as their server set their entrees in front of them. Once the server was out of earshot, Sanada leaned forward again before starting in on his dinner. “Prison? How did that one happen?”

Nioh flashed Sanada a sardonic smirk. “The dean of the university I went to didn’t appreciate my prank involving his wife and mistress, so he tried to get me arrested for stalking. I managed to prove my innocence on that matter, but it was a real eye opener you know? I mean, the guy was a first class asshole, and his wife was the one who asked me to see if he was cheating on her since she’d heard of my illusions and tricks. She was the one who insisted the charges be dropped as a matter of fact, I loved her classes.”

Sanada tried not to choke on his food. “She was one of your teachers? And married to the dean? Wow, don’t blame her for wanting to know if he was running around on her. At least she was nice enough to get you out of the charges.”

Nioh bit back a laugh at the look on Sanada’s face. “Yeah, she was one of my lit teachers. She was actually the one who got me into writing as a job when she submitted one of my short stories for publishing. It was a nice surprise when I got my first royalty check, so I gave it a shot to see if it would be profitable. I was one of the ones who got lucky enough to make a living.” Nioh paused to take a sip of his wine. “You know, I’m not the only one who’s changed. You’re a lot more laid back and open than you used to be, what changed?”

Sanada flushed lightly and wiped a bit of sauce from the corner of his mouth. “I went to University with Atobe and Seiichi. They ganged up on me and forced me to learn to flirt. I wasn’t exactly in a position to argue after the night the took me out and got me smashed, I’m sure Atobe still has the blackmail pictures and video in the safe in his office. I’m no where near as good as either of them, but I do alright.”

The little grin Sanada gave Nioh made the trickster’s heart race a bit as he turned back to his food. “You sure do, Sanada. You sure do.” After regaining his composure, and polishing off about half of his entree, Nioh looked back up with a smirk. “So ‘Mura and Atobe took you out and got you smashed? That sounds like an interesting story. Especially since you mentioned pictures and video. I think I may have to pay Atobe a visit and ask about those.”

Sanada barely avoiding choking on his wine as Nioh mentioned going to see Atobe. “Oh please don’t. Seriously. There is a reason I avoid vodka now, other than the fact that it makes me sick now after how much I had that night.”

Nioh grinned playfully. “Well...I suppose I could be convinced to not go looking for the pictures. If you tell me a little bit about it. I already shared my most embarrassing story with you. Almost getting arrested is not something I’m proud of after all.”

Sanada sighed heavily before giving Nioh an exasperated look. “There is no way I can get out of this, is there?”

“Nope! Now spill.” Nioh leaned forward in excited anticipation.

“Fine. Ok, so it was Atobe’s twentith birthday so he invited Seiichi and I out to go get drinks since he’d already celebrated with the rest of the old Hyotei team. And Atobe being Atobe, he insisted on not only paying for all the drinks, but that Seiichi and I drink as much as him. Three highly competitive twenty year olds and a nearly ulimited bar tab are not a good combo. I don’t even remember how many shots of whiskey we’d done when I was dared to drink as much vodka as I could without throwing up. I managed almost an entire bottle, but I stopped before I felt the need to be sick. Of course, Seiichi got the wicked idea to start daring me to do things I would never think of doing if I was sober.”

Nioh interrupted with a bit of a laugh. “What, did he dare you to start table dancing or something?”

Sanada scowled and picked at what was left of his food. “Yes. Yes he did. And apparently I decided to do an impression of a stripper. Atobe took pity on me and pulled me off of the table before I lost my pants.” Sanada wrinkled his nose as he racked his brain for the few memories he had of that night. “I think the worst part was all the women trying to throw themselves at me and pawing at me. That’s one thing I remember very clearly. I’ve never had any interest in women, and that really reinforced my distaste for them.”

Nioh gave Sanada a mildly disgusted look as he poured them both a little more wine. “Ew, that sucks. Girls are just...I mean An-chan is ok. But she’s just a good friend. I can’t imagine why anyone would date a girl beyond wanting kids. And you can pay a surrogate to do that for you or adopt. I don’t know, I never saw much sense in dating girls either.”

Sanada chuckled as Nioh topped off his glass. “Trying to get me drunk? You’re lucky I can handle wine well. Ironically enough, those are the same arguments I used on my parents when they tried to force me to get married. Thankfully Ojiisan was on my side, but I think Kaasan is still a little upset about the whole thing. I think it would help if Obaasan stopped trying to set me up with Okamas. I keep telling her that cross-dressers just don’t do it for me, but I don’t think the message is getting through.”

Nioh laughed as the server came and took their plates away. “I think I’m the one who’s going to end up getting tipsy here. My sister is always trying to hook me up with the models she works with, but none of them are my type.”

Sanada’s gaze was piercing as he stared at Nioh over the rim of his wine glass. “So what is your type then? Am I living up to expectations?”

Nioh fiddled with the corner of his napkin as he tried to not look at Sanada directly. “You. You’re my type. Every guy I’ve ever even considered as being date-able, I compared to you.”

Sanada’s voice was soft as he replied, his hand grabbing Nioh’s before the silver haired man could ruin his napkin. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner? I’ve spent the last six years trying to not be jealous of Yagyuu while trying to settle for someone who isn’t you. I admit that I was too much of a coward to make a move back in high school, but I was afraid I’d be rejected.”

Nioh blinked at Sanada’s words before turning his hand slightly to squeeze Sanada’s in response. “I guess we were both being fools, weren’t we? Good thing we’ve gotten wiser with age.”

Sanada smiled at Nioh softly as their dessert arrived. He hadn’t let go of Nioh’s hand while the server was at their table, but he did once the man left. Though that was only to eat. “It is a good thing. And I hope you know I don’t intend for this to be a one time thing. I’ve waited a long time to have a chance with you, I won’t waste it.”

Nioh felt his heart skip as he heard Sanada’s words. “I won’t waste it either. I should warn you that there are some things about me that haven’t changed. I still stay up late and sleep in, and I have cats, so you better not be allergic.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not. I am more of a dog person, but I’m not against cats on principle. I just hope they like me.” Sanada chuckled.

The small talk continued all the way through dessert and the ride back to Nioh’s place. . As he parked out in front of the building that the silver haired man lived in, Sanada felt himself getting rather disappointed. He didn’t want the night to end, but it would have been moving much too fast if he’d taken Nioh back to his place to spend the night. Plus, he had a staff meeting in the morning he couldn’t be late for. Ever the gentleman, Sanada got out of the car first before going around to open Nioh’s door for him. Holding it open as Nioh climbed out, once again felt the urge to do something to make the night go on forever.

Nioh smiled as Sanada opened his door for him. It was a very sweet gesture in his mind, his father always did that for his mother, and it was something he saw Yagyuu do for An all the time. There was a small part of Nioh that wanted to invite Sanada upstairs to spend a few more hours, but it was easily subdued by the part of him that had enjoyed the simple romance of going out to dinner. He wanted to do this right, maybe even have a real relationship. Stopping outside the door to his apartment, Nioh looked up at Sanada with a smile that was almost a little sad. “So, I guess this is goodnight then?”

Sanada reached up to tuck an imaginary lock of hair behind Nioh’s ear. “Yeah, I guess it is. I had an amazing time with you tonight, and I'd like to see you again.”

“I’d like that too. A lot, actually.” Nioh couldn’t stop the grin that made itself at home on his face as Sanada’s fingers traced his skin lightly.

Sanada smiled back at Nioh before taking a deep breath. Gathering up the courage he hadn’t expected to need, Sanada leaned down to kiss the silver haired man softly. The kiss was sweet and heady, and it made his heart race as his mind blanked. Nioh’s lips tasted faintly of red wine and the cake they had shared for dessert. In combination with Nioh’s own innate flavor, Sanada didn’t need Renji’s data to tell him he was hooked.

Nioh nearly melted into the kiss, which was something that had never happened to him before. He was having the kind of first kiss that he’d read about in one of the cheap romance novels that he kept hidden. Heaven forbid anyone find out that he was into that sort of novel. Finally pulling away once air started becoming a serious issue, Nioh took a deep breath to collect his thoughts before giving Sanada a sultry smirk. Opening the door to his apartment, he looked over his shoulder one more time before going inside. “Call me, ok?”

Sanada smiled back at the sexy look Nioh gave him before the door closed between them. “I will, you better believe it.”


End file.
